Read Cold Death for Free Online

overdosed and it was a massive overdose. At least we know now she didn’t do it on purpose. Maria’s own greed killed her, her own selfish stupidity, not her depression.” He said, melancholy marring his face. 
    “What are you saying?” The woman asked, horror dawning on her face as she realized that all of this may have been for naught.
    “They were going to rule it a suicide last week. We copied the diary and handed it over to the police the day after you snatched Edgar. They saw the depression there, the way she was spiralling out of control and changed their ruling. The examiner also said it was possible she’d fallen and hit her head because there were no defence wounds on her body. That’s why they let me go, they’d already determined that she’d likely killed herself and that the fall was an accident. You did all of this for nothing. Absolutely nothing.” Milly spoke this time, anger and hurt the emotions she spoke with. “You’ve given me weeks of hell because of your own selfishness and stupidity. If you’d simply spoken to the police, or to me even I could have told you all of this! But no, you go on a campaign to destroy me, to drive me crazy instead. How very typical of your kind.”
    “My kind? Do you mean lesbians or Americans because I’ve heard it all before?” The woman said, snippy.
    “Neither. I mean the selfish, self-indulgent kind that care little for how their actions impact others. That kind. The kind that starts an affair while married and slowly destroys their lover’s life, the kind that can take the lives of innocent people and throw them under the bus to save their own skin. That kind is the kind I refer to, Allison. You deserve whatever you have coming to you, dearie, that’s for certain.” Milly said as she watched the woman rise, Edgar still in her arms.
    Fear made Milly’s heart clench in her throat as she watched the woman’s hands close around Edgar’s throat but then she let him go. “I suppose you’re right, Milly. Maria always did think you were smarter than the average bear, I see you are. She thought you and Callum would make a nice pair, though she was jealous of you. I never quite understood that. She didn’t really want Callum but she didn’t want you having him either. I suppose that’s more of that selfishness showing through, though, isn’t it?”
    “I suppose it is, yes. What are you going to do?” Milly asked, ignoring the rest of Allison’s comments.
    “I suppose I’ll go home and pack my things and hire the best lawyer I can find. My husband is a violent man but I’ve got enough hidden away now, enough on him as well, that I should be alright. That is, if the police downstairs ever let me out of jail for harassing you and whatever else I’ve done.” The woman said as she looked downstairs at the road. “Your dogs are in my car by the way. They should be fine; I’ve given them blankets to keep them warm. Well, I wish you both the best. I’m sure that’s odd coming from me, but I do. And I am sorry. If I’d only used my head for once none of this would have happened.” Allison then disappeared, meeting Detective Barnes and other police officers coming up the stairs of Milly’s flat.
    The night was disturbed by the blue strobe lights of the police, and Milly and Callum spent another night answering questions they really had no answers to. By the time they left Milly’s flat it was very late and Milly only wanted to go to bed. It was over now, she could move on with her life, once again, but she was very sad at just how unnecessary the whole affair had been. All of this because of someone’s selfishness, she thought as she put her nightclothes on then went out to tell Callum goodnight.
    He was sitting on the chair still, he’d not moved all night, Daisy and Mildred resting peacefully in his lap. He had a lot to come to terms with, Milly knew. She sat on the footstool in front of him and took his hand.
    “I’m going to try and sleep